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Within the boundlessness of the Internet we came across a rather interesting project made with Blend4Web: a cartoon series with some interactive elements.

A cartoon made using 3D graphics is nothing new. World-famous studious and self-employed enthusiasts, professional artists and amateurs – it seems just about everyone makes and uploads them to various video hosting services. It doesn’t really matter what software you use in this field, as every modern 3D editor includes a rich toolset for creating any kind of content. After you’re done working on your masterpiece, you, however, have to wait for it to render. Only after waiting a long time you will finally get your work ready to use.

This is the type of animation we’re all familiar with. But what would you say if I told you that there is a way to skip the rendering stage and give users an option to experience your creation in real time? Fantasy, you say? Not really.

Blender offers you numerous features to fulfill your dreams, while Blend4Web is able to beautifully render them in real time. And this is what the creators of the Wheatbelt Castle animated series essentially did. They came up with ideas for the show, created models and animations, added voices and sounds… Now, anyone can watch their creation right on a web page and even participate in the story to a certain degree. This final part is the most interesting one!

Interactive cinema is a new form of entertainment where a viewer doesn’t have to simply follow the story. Just watch some Wheatbelt Castle and you’ll understand what I mean. Maybe you would like to look at a certain scene from a different angle? No problem here, simply use your mouse to move the camera! Don’t feel like listening to that particular dialogue? Feel free to examine the surroundings! And in the near future, when virtual reality devices will become abundant and accessible, interactive cinema may be the new stage in the evolution of art.

And finally, a little piece of advice: while you’re watching the show, try clicking objects that look suspicious.

Thanks for posting this article about Wheatbelt Castle. I just make these for fun, but it's very motivating to see that people are enjoying them as well as seeing the potential of realtime, interactive cinema. I'm currently working on improving the interface and interactive elements. New episode soon!